SAN JOSE — The remnants of a short-lived hockey venture in San Francisco found its way back to the Bay Area in the form of a bonafide NHL player.
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Yanni Gourde, who played eight games with the now-defunct San Francisco Bulls of the ECHL on a reassignment from the AHL Worcester Sharks, will square off against the organization that kickstarted his pro hockey career Wednesday when his Tampa Bay Lightning (11-2-2) meet up with the Sharks (8-5) at SAP Center.

“It was a great time for me to play at a pro level,” Gourde said, reflecting on his two seasons in the Sharks organization. “It made me grow as a professional hockey player, I learned how to be a pro. I had great mentors there.”

The Sharks organization launched Gourde’s career by giving him a tryout after he went undrafted, completing his junior hockey career with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Victoriaville Tigers, where he won a scoring title by accumulating 124 points in 68 games during the 2011-12 season. The Worcester Sharks eventually signed Gourde to an AHL contract, and he spent parts of two seasons with the club, racking up 41 points in 83 games.

During his rookie campaign in 2012-13, Gourde played eight games with the Sharks’ ECHL affiliate, the San Francisco Bulls, who folded later that year in just their second season of existence. Gourde notched 10 points in eight games with the Bulls, earning a recall back to Worcester, keeping his career alive.

“I do remember playing at the Cow Palace,” Gourde recalled. “It was pretty funny because you had to go down the stairs (from the locker room) to go on the ice, and each period, you’d be gassed after the period, and you’d have to walk up the stairs. But it was fun.

“Every part of that is an experience that I grew on and it made me the player I am today.”

Gourde also expressed gratitude toward Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer, who helped him develop from a boy to man on the ice during his time in Worcester.

“Turning from junior to pro, it is kind of hard. Roy helped me out in finding my game and how to succeed as a pro,” Gourde said. “He use to always tell me, slow down, slow down, because I was trying to go 100 mph everywhere on the ice.

“I wasn’t doing much because I was all over the ice.”
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But the Sharks eventually let Gourde walk during the 2013-14 season and he resurfaced with the Lightning organization, signing a two-way contract with the Syracuse Crunch.

Gourde eventually made his NHL debut with the Lightning on Dec. 15, 2015, but after a two- game NHL stint, he was reassigned to the Crunch. The undersized forward (Gourde is listed at 5-foot-9, 172 pounds) eventually made the most of his March recall last season, impressing the Lightning braintrust by notching six goals and eight points during an 18-game audition with the NHL club.

The Lightning are a perfect fit for a player with Gourde’s skill set. They play a modern NHL game based on speed and skill, and the organization has a reputation for giving undersized players, such as Martin St. Louis and Tyler Johnson, opportunities.
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The speedy forward acknowledged that the timing of his arrival worked out perfectly. The NHL is giving more looks to players with his attributes.

“It’s moving toward a faster game and it’s really good for me,” he said. “I probably wouldn’t have gotten this opportunity a few years back.”

Gourde is carrying the momentum of his late season recall last spring into the 2017-18 season. So far, he’s recorded nine points (4g, 5a) in 15 games, and when the puck drops tonight, he’ll be skating on the Lightning’s second line with Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat.

“I’m really happy the way this team’s supported me and I’m trying to make the most of it,” Gourde said.